Chapter 138 A little push for justice
“I know what to do.” William said as he watched Doris pace their room. There wasn’t much room for her to get very far, but she felt as if she had been walking miles. Her feet would easily burn marks in the rug if she kept on, but her worry wouldn’t stop. How could she fix this? They had to do something
He gripped her hand and pulled her to the bed. “I said, I know what to do.” He repeated more firmly to draw her back to the moment. She’d almost forgotten that he had said anything.
“What?” Doris asked after a breath. “If you’ve already searched neighboring towns and saw they have so little, what can we do? I don’t know how long they can all last on that amount of food, I thought I made enough to last them longer.”
“Near the edge of the border back into the kingdom, several officials from the palace live there in their home. We can pay a visit to them. I know that one of them is responsible for the goods that are distributed into the north once they pay their taxes. It seems they weren’t the only ones that weren’t given enough to last for the month.”
Doris widened her eyes. “Do you think they held back food to them? is that why they’re as low as they are? That’s… that’s pure evil, William!”
“It’s possible. We won’t know until we talk to them. I know one thing, they will make sure these villages are filled with food again by the end of tomorrow. I’ll make sure of that” William said with a dark glint in his eyes. Doris shifted a little beside him. For once, the look didn’t make her fear him. It made her… want him more than she would ever admit. 1
“Would we bring Enzo with us? Surely he could help convince them since he is the leader of the north.” Doris said.
“I’m not sure yet if that will make the visit worse or better, but we can try.” William stood. She watched him leave to gather his men and tell them their new plan, but she couldn’t help but think of all the children in the village. There weren’t many, but even if there was one it would tear at her heart knowing they couldn’t fend for themselves out here. 1
Lately, her mind kept returning to one ruin after the other. She longed for the peace she once had back in the library at the palace. But-here she was helping people. Or trying her best to. Her good intentions weren’t always the wisest decisions, but she knew that her heart was pure. 3
Doris crept down the stairs to see William making his speech to his guards and the rogues. The only expression her eye caught on, was Enzo’s. He looked almost proud of William, as if he didn’t expect him to go this far just to help a village of rogues. In fact, they all looked that way. Perhaps this was a step in the right direction to truly show how much he meant his words.
“…I will have some of you stay to watch over the villagers and others join us. We most likely won’t be back for long once we settle this issue. We have important matters to solve at the palace.”
“Let’s head out, then. It’ll be evening by the time we get there, we can have a delightful dinner with them.” Enzo suggested with a grin. He shrugged on his coat and Doris hurried down to do the same.
“Are you sure you want to join us, Doris?” William whispered in her ear. Doris glanced up to glare at him and he held his hands up in defense. “I’m just saying, you might not like these men. They have no respect for women-or servants. They might not be very happy to see you.”
“Well, they can deal with it. I’m coming with you.” Doris insisted and walked out the door. She’d dealt with many sexist men in her life. A few officials didn’t scare her away in the slightest. Not anymore
familiar, she could count the exact seconds before he lifted himself in front of her.
Night wasn’t far off. Many of the villagers had already gone to bed to rest more while others kept inside. They kicked off into the snow and Doris held on tightly as they rode as fast as they could. Enzo was close behind with a handful of guards and rogues on his tail. Briefly, she hoped the men didn’t think this was an ambush.
Nothing good ever happened when dangerous men were backed in a corner.
An hour passed before their horses passed the border. Doris saw the differences instantly. It went from a blank land of snow with one road, to a lively posh village just feet away. When
she glanced back, she noticed how unwelcome the north looked.
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